Conservation & Ecology

Denver Botanic Gardens is proud to partner with the Colorado School of Mines to join in a global citizen participation project on biodiversity. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. In today’s global climate, how...Learn more

August and September bring the heyday of many plants of the aster family (Asteraceae). Asters, chrysanthemums, black- and brown-eyed susans, sunflowers, and others grace the landscape with late summer color. Along with them, though, comes a pernicious illness with a mysterious cause: Aster Yellows...Learn more

It’s been an interesting summer. Lots of heat and not so much rain, for starters. The combination of heat, drought, and subsequently stressed-out plants has made for banner years for many pests. Some that are usually not even common enough to be a nuisance here at the Botanic Gardens have...Learn more

Last week a colleague and I attended a conference and workshop about protecting native pollinators, hosted by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. While most of us might think of the European Honeybee, Apis mellifera, as the primary pollinator of crops, native bees are important...Learn more

In a previous post I described some interactions between plants and insects that can make for interesting observation. This week I’ll add another plant group that makes for some fun—the milkweeds (genus Asclepias). Many species of Asclepias can be found in North America and can make good garden...Learn more

July – the month we celebrate America’s independence… and efficient irrigation? While the second occasion may not get as much attention as the first, there are plenty of ways to mark Smart Irrigation Month this July. The Irrigation Association (IA), which represents manufacturers of irrigation...Learn more

Safaris are expensive. So why not trade the very large for the very small? Stay away from tourist traps and take a trip into your back yard for action worthy of television special—you won’t even need to pack a lunch. Even if at first glance the average home’s yard and garden might seem virtually...Learn more

As we swing into high summer and garden plants kick into overdrive, the fungi, bacteria, and viruses that rely on them start making appearances too. These plant pathogens manifest themselves in many ways, from the elegant to the grotesque. Rust fungi are one common pathogen that show up with warmer...Learn more

Join us in the Gardens on Saturday May 19 to celebrate Plant Conservation Day. The third week in May holds many opportunities to celebrate our rare and native plant species in Colorado. Not only is it Celebrating Wildflowers week, a week to get out and enjoy wildflowers in bloom on public lands in...Learn more

Plants aren’t the only thing becoming more active this time of year. Warmer weather triggers a lot of invertebrate activity, and you may be noticing that your home is suddenly (apparently) some sort of transcontinental superhighway for arthropods. Which is just one of the reasons that I love...Learn more